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Here are 18 of the ugliest cars ever made

Everybody has their own idea about what makes a car beautiful. It’s all pretty subjective; one person’s beauty can easily be another’s ‘meh’.

Ugly cars are different, though.

There tends to be a general agreement on the worst lookers that ever escaped from an automotive production line - and these are the ones that we've chosen for the catwalk of horrors.

One question that is usually left unanswered is how these hideous creations ever got signed off by the manufacturer’s top brass.

Nobody sets out to build a vile-looking car. Why would they? There is no suggestion that buyers have ever gone out to find something hideous to depress themselves with each and every day.

The reasons are complex. Sometimes manufacturers are attempting to make some sort of a statement. On other occasions, such as the launches of the Pontiac Aztek and Vanden Plas 1500, they are trying to create a distinctive variant on an original theme.

Whatever the intention, we've seen a plethora of horrid looking vehicles over the years. These are the ones we think are definite shoe-ins, but this is always up for debate.

See what you think of our list in collaboration with Autocar, and maybe come up with some suggestions that you think we’ve missed in the comments section below.

Pontiac Aztek (2000)

If you’ve ever seen the TV show Breaking Bad you’ll be familiar with this beast, a tiny-wheeled cross between a small dinosaur with dental problems and a broken toast rack.

Suzuki X90 (1995)

Who would want a 2WD SUV with only two seats? The X90 was proof that you could build ugliness into a car at the concept stage and then confirm it in the metal.

Perodua Kenari (2000)

A multiple one-star-out-of-five scorer in numerous road tests, the Kenari had plenty of equipment, but before you got in it to enjoy all that you had to look at it first.

Reva G-Wiz (2001)

An electric vehicle so ugly that most preferred to stick to more traditional transportation methods, like rickshaws or motorcycle sidecars.

Vanden Plas 1500 (1975)

The Austin Allegro - on which this was based - was bad enough, but the stuffing-in of ‘luxury’ items normally only seen in Rolls-Royces just made the 40 per cent price hike seem ridiculous.

Subaru Impreza WRX (2000)

You can forgive rally-honed cars for looking functionally ugly, but the bulbous second-gen WRX seemed to have lost most of its menace on the designer’s cutting-room floor.

Ssangyong Rodius (2005)

The British-designed Rodius looked like two entirely separate cars had been rammed together. In fact, the back end didn’t even look automotive.

Porsche Cayenne (2002)

Demonstrating that ugliness doesn’t always mean failure, the Cayenne has been a big sales success for Porsche, helping to finance rather more visually attractive models like the Cayman GT4 and 911 GT3.

Nissan Cube (1998)

Japanese customers loved the Cube, but it was only imported to the UK by a few individuals looking for something 'quirky' or ‘funky’. Or ‘ugly’, as it was sometimes known.

Nissan Micra C+C (2005)

Tragic styling in a colour that was unlikely to be tolerated by a large section of the population, the C+C Micra cemented its awfulness with a rotten driving position and hopeless rear seats.

Morris Ital (1982)

Mitsuoka Orochi (2006)

A 3.3-litre V6 Toyota engine in a spaceframe chassis sounded good. Unfortunately the deep sea monster body that Mitsuoka came up with killed off its appeal. We think it looks like a crashed Mercedes SL front-end bolted to the mid-section of a Ferrari 458 and finished off with the rear section of a third-generation Toyota M2.

Lancia Thesis (2001)

We didn’t get this model in the UK, which was only a pity if you were a fan of medieval suits of armour. Considering the beauties they built in the 20th century, Lancia should maybe commission a real thesis on where they went wrong here.

Lamborghini IM002 (1986)

Brutalism made real, the Countach-engined LM002 was Lamborghini’s first SUV, so it deserves a place in history for that. But it was daft in just about every other way.

Hyundai Coupe (1999)

The first Hyundai Coupe was actually a good looking car. Then they followed it up with this fussily overdesigned facelift. Shame.

Ford Scorpio (1994)

Urban myth suggests that this car gave birth to a new word to describe ugliness: ‘gopping’. Still, the cross-eyed Scorpio had loads of rear leg room, so embarrassed passengers could keep nice and low in the back.

Citroen AM 6 (1961)

Citroën built the so-right DS in the 1950s. Six years later, they released the so-wrong Ami 6. Based on the 2CV, it featured a reverse-angled rear window and a bonnet that looked like it had been left out in the hot sun too long.

Alfa Romeo SZ (1989)

Many think that the respected Italian design house Zagato was to blame for this decent-driving coupé, but it was actually the fault of Fiat’s own design office. Not their proudest moment... or was it?

The Alfa SZ is a marmite car, loved by some and hated by others, and has gained legendary status despite those looks. Today, you may need to part with about $100,000 to buy a good one.

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This budget tool is intended as a guide and starting point only and is not in any way a finance quotation. Please refer here for our site terms.

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